Juan Carlos Romero
“Suena a Romero”
Sunday, October 8th, 2006. 9:00pm.
Teatro Central

Special 14th Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla. Reviews, programa, photos...

Text: Estela Zatania

Guitar: Juan Carlos Romero. Second guitarra 2: Paco Cruzado. Dance: Rafael de Carmen. Cante: Rafael de Utrera. Percusión: Antonio Coronel. Palmas: Bobote.

The third guitar recital of this Bienal de Flamenco took place last night at the Teatro Central. Juan Carlos Romero, from Huelva, belongs to the first generation influenced by Paco de Lucía, although his formative years were alongside Manolo Sanlúcar. Therefore, he has the perspective and concepts of both maestros of the new era of flamenco guitar.

With the dramatic evolution of harmony in recent decades, the globalized market, influences from other musical genres and even a new way of working the compás, we often come across the odd situation of a flamenco fan not familiar with a specific guitarist’s recordings, being unable to identify the form being played, and non-fans simply enjoy the pretty music without looking for structure. It’s not that other guitarists don’t play in compás, but Juan Carlos Romero’s compositions show his desire to create within established parameters, and what’s more important, to let us participate in the compás, instead of making us sniff it out. For this reason Romero not only sounds like “Romero” as the name of the show states, but like flamenco. A spruced-up flamenco which is at the same time classic, without additional instruments except for Antonio Coronel’s discreet percussion, and the added attraction of two Rafaels, el de Utrera, cantaor, and el de Carmen, dancer.

Brief sequences of notes which are surprising for their beauty and simplicity

Romero does a Hitchcock sort of appearance, nonchalantly strolling across the rear of the stage from left to right, to then appear from the right-hand wings. This comes off as a subtle way of stating his desire to be different but dignified. After a farruca, which, surprisingly, sounds like farruca, Romero explains that the taranta he is about to play is called “Río Tinto”, the mining zone of his hometown of Huelva. The “soleá-bulería” (yet another label for this free-for-all form that absorbs a variety of traditional and original cantes), is played in F position giving a Levante feeling without deforming the natural color of soleá por bulería, this takes a true musician. Romero’s phrasing is original, and his melodies contain brief sequences of notes which are surprising for their beauty and simplicity.

The piece “Fantasía” is in measures of three, what used to be called “vals flamenco”, and Rafael de Carmen dances at the rear of the stage. The rest of the group leaves and Romero is alone with Rafael de Utrera. A dim light-bulb hanging from above is the only illumination, and sets the mood for the singer’s taranta. The ambience lightens up with alegrías in E position. Romero takes care to establish the personality of each form with familiar phrases and chords before letting his creativity take wing in musical tangents – it’s a successful formula for which we are grateful. Rafael de Carmen dances, spectacular as always, but still lacking the sobriety of his generation of dancers.

Romero not only sounds like “Romero” as the name of the show states, but like flamenco.

Romero speaks affectionately of Niño Miguel, that lost soul, once a fine guitarist, who now roams the streets of Huelva begging for coins. He recalls how Miguel’s father was his first guitar teacher, and explains he is going to play a piece composed in his honor and which he calls La Sombra (the shadow), “because Niño Miguel is but a shadow of what he once was”. Before he begins to play, the rest of the group have removed their shoes, and only at the end of these tientos-tangos does Romero explain, in a soft voice, that the gesture was to remember that guitarist “who now walks barefoot, like Christ...this is the reality of Miguel today”. It could have been a cloying moment, but Romero’s sincerity manages to turn it into an authentic tribute to his admired friend.

The concert is rounded out with tanguillo and bulerías, all well-anchored to user-friendly compás that makes us accomplices to the fact, and the rumba Isla Canela from the guitarist’s most recent recording makes a nice curtain call reprise.

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